The present disclosure relates to synthetic crosslinked polymer additives that may be used as thinners and/or deflocculants in subterranean treatment fluids, and associated methods of use in subterranean treatments.
Treatment fluids can be used in a variety of subterranean treatment operations. As used herein, the terms “treat,” “treatment,” “treating,” and grammatical equivalents thereof refer to any subterranean operation that uses a fluid in conjunction with achieving a desired function and/or for a desired purpose. Use of these terms does not imply any particular action by the treatment fluid. Illustrative treatment operations can include, for example, fracturing operations, gravel packing operations, acidizing operations, scale dissolution and removal, consolidation operations, and the like.
For example, a drilling fluid, or “mud” which a drilling fluid is also often called, is a treatment fluid that is circulated in a well bore as the well bore is being drilled to facilitate the drilling operation. The various functions of a drilling fluid include removing drill cuttings from the well bore, cooling and lubricating the drill bit, aiding in support of the drill pipe and drill bit, and providing a hydrostatic head to maintain the integrity of the well bore walls and prevent well blowouts.
Maintaining sufficient viscosity in the treatment fluids used in these operations is important for a number of reasons. In particular, maintaining sufficient viscosity may be important in drilling operations to control and/or reduce fluid loss into the formation. “Fluid loss,” as that term is used herein, refers to the undesirable migration, leak off, or other loss of fluids (e.g., a drilling fluid) into a subterranean formation and/or a proppant pack. In some instances, certain synthetic polymers (i.e., typically linear or lightly crosslinked with less than about 1 mol % crosslinker) have been added to water-based drilling fluids to control fluid loss. However, the use of these polymers often requires the use of clays that, in some instances, can plug formation pores and cause damage in the formation. In other instances, the amounts of these polymers needed to provide the desired level of fluid loss control may be so high that it increases the viscosity of the fluid above the desired levels.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and described and are defined by reference to example embodiments of the disclosure, such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.